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30
Hollis waited until their waitress was out of earshot before she continued to tell Jen about everything that had happened.
“So he just showed up?” Jen asked, her eyes wide.
“Yeah. Three days before he said he was coming back.” Hollis shook her head as she exhaled softly. “It could have been so much worse. Thankfully, Kate was going to work, so… She was dressed.” She could feel her cheeks heating up.
Jen smirked. “I take it that if he’d picked any other day, he would have gotten an eye full.”
Hollis’s lips tugged into a smile. “Yes.”
“But apart from this morning’s drama? It was all good?”
“Good?” Hollis reached for her wine. “It was like a dream. All of it. I’ve never felt that relaxed in my own home.” She swallowed down the emotion that came out of nowhere. “And I think that it just showed me how much I needed this divorce. How much I’ve been missing.”
“It’ll be worth it then,” Jen said. “All of this sneaking around.”
“So worth it. I have no doubts, which I know probably doesn’t make much sense.”
“Love rarely does.”
Hollis arched an eyebrow.
Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Even if you haven’t said it yet… That’s what this is, isn’t it? It’s not just mind blowing sex.”
“No,” Hollis said with a soft sigh. She somehow hadn’t realized it until now, but Jen was right. When Hollis thought about how she felt herself light up when Kate walked into a room, how everything else faded away, or how much she craved Kate’s touch, her attention, it was obvious. She’d never felt like this about anyone before. Nothing close. “I just wish he hadn’t come back,” she said, aware that Jen was waiting for her to say something. “You should have seen her, Jen. She completely froze. It was like she’d seen a ghost.” Hollis took a sip of wine. “I need to see her tonight. Make sure she’s okay.”
“Call her,” Jen said as she got up. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Hollis took her phone out of her bag. Nothing from Kate. She glanced at the time. Kate should have finished work about a half hour ago. Hollis tapped on her name, letting it ring, but Kate didn’t answer.
Hollis decided to send her a quick text.
Hey. Sorry about this morning. Call me when you get a chance.
Hollis put her phone away when Jen returned, and their meals arrived a few moments later. She tried to enjoy herself as Jen filled her in on her Christmas with her parents and all of her nieces and nephews, but she struggled to focus.
She checked her phone again more than an hour later, when they’d finished their desserts. Still nothing from Kate.
After she’d said goodnight to Jen and got in her car, Hollis tried to call her again, and when she still got no answer, she decided to stop by Kate’s apartment instead of going home.
31
When Kate got home from work, she took out a bottle of whiskey and two tumblers. “Drink?” she asked Lexi as she came into the kitchen, her eyebrows furrowed.
“Are we celebrating?” Lexi asked, her expression hopeful again.
“No.”
“Right. Yeah,” Lexi said. “Come and sit with me and tell me what’s going on.”
Kate followed her into the living room, carrying the bottle and two glasses. They sat on the couch, and she poured them each a large measure of whiskey. Kate left the bottle on the coffee table without putting the cap back on.
She knocked back hers.
Lexi stared at her. “Jesus. Did something happen at work?”
Kate shook her head, the whiskey burning her throat on its way down.
